Slide fastener top stop



0st. 4, 949. R. c. LEGA-r SLIDE 'FASTENER `IOP STOP Filed July 9. 1948 y INVENTOR.

ROBERT c. L EGAT BY ATTORNEY- Patented Oct. 4, 1949 UNITED ,STATES "ATENT OFFICE 4 Claims..

This invention relates to separable fasteners of the slide operated type and more particularly to top stops for fasteners in which the fastener elements are constituted of ya pair of spiral springs whose coils are adapted to interlock with one another to close the' fastener. l

The principal object of the invention is' to provide for fasteners of the indicated typena-n improved top stop which may be manufactured quickly and economically and' which when mounted on the fastener will cooperate with the coils of the. fastener elenierits toV reinforce them', thereby @trial-.ing the necessity of any additional reinforcing means. o

A further. object of the invention is to provide for fasteners of the indicated type, aiiimproved top stopwhich will enable the slider to completely close the fastener and thereby conceal such top from view and whi'chiiss'o formed as to facilita-te such complete closing' of the slider.

Other objects and'y advantages of the top stop of" this invention, as well as the novel features of construction thereof; will become apparent afterv a perusal lof the following description when readr in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. '1 is a plan view of the upper' portion of a fastener of the indicated type hav'- ingV my improved'y top stop: Eig. 2 is` an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 2--2' of Fig; 1;v Fig. 3 is a pian view of the b1ai1k, from which the top stop'isl made; Fig'. 4f is a perspective view showing the top stop priorto its`- attachment to the fastener and Fig. U5 is a 'sectional view taken along the line 5e-*e5 of Fig. 1.

in the drawings, the reference numerals lo and II indicate the vtwo flexiblelstring-ers of the fastener te the opposed edges ef which are at-Y tached the spiral' spring fast-ener element-s I2 azi-dla; The sti-ingersl I' and I1 are mace of fabric tape andthese tapes are *folded Y along their opposed edges to provide the iongitudinauy extending fold portions I'II' andII" (note Figs. and 2, respectiveiylalong therear" of the fastener; 'he fastener elements I2t and I3 are attached to thel opposed folded edge'portions ofthe tapes andmay be of any suitablespiral cong.- mation. In the form of such elem-ents illustrated, the 'fastener element I2 is aL hookedispiral wire formed toprovide a series of wave-*like forL mations or .hooks which are adapted' to interlock with the coilsA of fastener element I3.. the latter of "which are' of plain spiral shape. The interlocking of the fastener 'elements' I'jand' [3 iS controlled by a slider Iiwhich is slldably mounts ed -on such elements. The slider I-4 is formed to provide the usual Y-shaped channel I5, whereby when the slider isopei'ated" upwardly, as viewed in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the coils of the fastener elements are progressively interlocked to close the fastener, while when the slider I4 is moved end portions I8, I8.

(Cl. 24F-205.11)

in the opposite direction or downwardly, the coils of such elements will be progressively disengaged to open the fastener. Y

At the upper ends of the stringers I!) and I I are attached the top stop members which are indicated generally, by the reference numerals I6, I5; Each top stop member vi6 is composed of an integral piece of sheet metal which in the blank form, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, includes twol portions Il, I7 from which are formed the sides of the stop, two portions I8, I8 from which are formed the ends of the stop, and a central body portion I9. The blank is shaped so that the outer edges of each of the side portions ii, Il are turned inwardly to provide a rounded surface along such edges and to provide an inwardly extending substantially U-shaped edge 2i! by means of which the stop is securely clamped to the edge of the stri-nger tapes. In other' words, the two U-shaped edges 2d, 2d formed on the side portions I7, I'T of the stop, forni clamping jaws which grip the folded tape in themanner shown in Figs. 2 and 5 of the drawings; such grip being continuous and uninterrupted along the entire peripheral' edge portions of the side portions I7, I'l which are in engagement with the tape. In order to increase the gripping action of the side portions I?, ITI, the interior surfaces thereof may be provided with corrugations 2|, or otherwise knurled or' roughened. In order to prepare the blank for application to the' fastener, it is brought tothe shape shown in Fig. 4 of theY drawings by bending the two side portions I'I, I'I to bring them into substanti'ally parallel relation, by bending the central body portion I9 to a convex shape with a curvature substantially conforming to the curvatiire of the coils of the locking elements, and by bending downwardly the end' portions I8, I-. The blank is now in a form in which it may read:- ilybe inserted over` a plurality of the coils Yof a fastener element. Preferably the length of the body portion is such that the stop is enabled to contain four coils of the fastener between the lower or inner ends of such side portions to the doubled' thickness of materialV provided along the, fastener edge ofthe` tape and by bending the end portions I8, I8 inwardly and downwardly against the end coils enclosed by the stop member (note Fig. 5). It will thus be seen that the body p0rtion I9, the outer ends of the side portions I1, I1 and the end portions I8, I8 of such stop member will be formed into a cylindrically-shaped container which wholly encloses the upper coils of the fastener and whose inner surfaces are in tight engagement with the peripheries of such coils; the exterior diameter of such container being substantially the same as the outside diameter of the remaining coils of the fastener. As a result of the reduction of the diameter of the coils contained within the stop member, such portions of the fastener element will be expanded longitudinally to bring the end coils thereof snugly against the end portions I8, I8 of the stop member. It will also be noted that the inner ends of the side portions I1, I1 which are clamped to the doubled thickness of the tape, will, by reason of their clamping action, i'lrmly secure the stop member to the tape. The member therefore will be affixed to the Stringer by two locking actions, namely, the locking of the body of such member on the coils of the fastener element and the clamping action of the side portions I1, I1 on the tape. Thus, the stop member is firmly and permanently secured in position on the Stringer against forces tending to pull it off the stringer and against forces tending to shift it on the tape. This locking of the stop member on to the Stringer is made more secure by the fact tha-t the portions of the U-shaped edges in the outer ends of the side portions I1, l1 which have been bent around the fastener coils, form additional end stops to confine such coils within the stop member. This construction also rigidies the upper ends of the fastener elements, thus making it unnecessary to provide additional reinforcing means at the ends of such elements. By reason of the dimensions of the container portion of such stop member, the fact that the clamping ends of `the side portions I1, I1 are substantially embedded in the two layers of the tape and the fact that smooth, rounded or beveled surfaces are provided along the exterior edges of such member, it will not catch on articles while in use and will readily enter the upper ends of the arms of the Y-shaped channel in the slider, thereby permitting the slider to be operated so as to cause all of the coils on the fastener members to be interlocked. This result also improves the appearance of the fastener in its closed condition.

While I have herein disclosed a preferred form of my invention, it will be evident to -those skilled in the art that modifications may be made therein, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A slide fastener stringer comprising a exible tape, fastener means mounted on a longitudinal edge of said tape and consisting of a spirally-coiled wire, and a stop member at the upper end of said fastener means for limiting the movement of a slider on the stringer` said stop member having a central body portion and two side portions, said body portion and the upper ends of said side portions being bent about a plurality of the coils of said spiral wire and forming a cylindrically-shaped housing tightly enclosing such coils, the lower ends of said side portions being disposed in substantially parallel relation and clamping the material of the tape therebetween, and said stop member having two 4 end portions attached to the ends of said body portion and closing the ends of such cylindrically-shaped housing. y

2. A slide fastener Stringer comprising a flexible tape, fastener means mounted on a longitudinal edge of said tape and consisting of a spirally-coiled wire, and a stop member at the upper end of said fastener means for limiting the movement of a slider on the stringer, said stop member having a central longitudinally extending body portion and two side portions integral with the side edges of said central portion, said side portions each having a length substantially greater than the width of said body portion and having an inturned substantially U-shaped free edge, said body portion and the upper ends of said side portions being bent about a plurality of the coils of said spiral wire and forming a cylindrically-shaped housing tightly enclosing such coils, the lower ends of said side portions being disposed in substantially parallel relation and clamping the material of the tape therebetween with the U-shaped inturned edge thereof embedded in such material, and said stop member having two end portions integrally attached to the ends of said body portion and closing the ends of such cylindrically-shaped housing.

3. A slide fastener stringer comprising a fabric tape folded along one longitudinal edge thereof to provide a folded edge portion having two thicknesses of the fabric material, fastener means mounted on the folded edge of said tape and consistingY of a spirally-coiled wire, and a stop member at the upper end of said fastener means for limiting the movement of a slider on the Stringer, said stop member having a central longitudinally extending body portion and two side portions integral with the side edges of said central portion, said side portions each having a length substantially greater than the width of said body portion and having an inturned substantially U-shaped free edge, said body portion and the outer ends' of said side portions being bent about a plurality of the terminal coils of said spiral wire and forming a cylindrically-shaped housing tightly enclosing` said coils, the inner ends of said side portions being disposed in substantially parallel relation and clamping the two thicknesses of tape material therebetween with the exterior surfaces of such inner ends substantially flush with the exterior surfaces of such folded tape material and with the U-shaped inturned edges thereof embedded in such material, and said stop member having two end portions integrally attached to the ends of said body portion and closing the ends of such cylindricallyshaped housing to entirely enclose therein the terminal coils of said fastener means.

4. A slide fastenerstringer such as dened in claim 3 in which the housing formed by said body portion and said side portions has an external diameter substantially the same as the outside diameter of the coils of said fastener means, and in'which the interior surface of said side portions is roughened to enhance the gripping action of such portions on the material of the tape, and in which said end portions haverounded, beveled edges and are of such length as to engage with the folded edge of said tape.

ROBERT C. LEGAT.

No references cited. 

